The Swayambhunath stupa is of the crowning glories of Kathmandu Valley architecture. This perfectly proportioned monument seems to hint at some celestial perfection with its gleaming, gilded spire and whitewashed dome. From the spire, four faces of the Buddha stare out across the valley in the cardinal directions. The noselike squiggle below the piercing eyes is actually the Nepali number ek (one), signifying unity, and above is a third eye signifying the insight of the Buddha. The entire structure of the stupa is symbolic – the white dome represents the earth, while the 13-tiered, beehivelike structure at the top symbolises the 13 stages that humans must pass through to achieve nirvana